It is known from the prior art that wheel bearing assemblies, in particular for commercial vehicles, include two axially adjacent rolling-element bearings each including a bearing outer ring and each including a bearing inner ring, between which rolling elements are disposed. The two rolling-element bearings form a bearing intermediate space between them. Furthermore the two bearing inner rings and/or the two bearing outer rings contact each other by their mutually facing end surfaces and form a butt joint between them. In order to seal the bearing intermediate space in such a wheel bearing assembly in a region of the butt joint, in particular against a penetrating of oil and/or dirt, or in order to reduce an undesired escaping of lubricant from the bearing intermediate space, it is known to dispose a seal in the region of the butt joint.
In order to furthermore provide a simplified installation with such wheel bearing assemblies it is know to respectively preassemble the bearing outer ring and the bearing inner ring with the rolling elements as a rolling-element bearing unit. However, it is problematic that with such a rolling-element bearing unit the bearing rings must be secured during transport in order to prevent a slipping-out of the respective bearing ring from the rolling-element bearing unit or to generally prevent a falling apart of the rolling-element bearing unit.
As known, for example, from the prior art, this can be achieved by a retaining element that secures the bearing rings of the preassembled rolling-element bearing unit during transport. However, it is disadvantageous here that prior to the installation of the rolling-element bearing unit into the wheel bearing the retaining element must be removed again, with the result that production times and manufacturing costs increase.